Adjusting sleeve assembly for a sunshade with a tiltable canopy

ABSTRACT

An adjusting sleeve assembly includes an adjusting sleeve slidably mounted around an upright support member of a sunshade and a mounting member extending outward from the adjusting sleeve and including a U-shape path therein. A pivotal block is pivotally mounted in the mounting member. A connecting rod includes a first end connected to the pivotal block to pivot therewith and a second end pivotally connected to an arcuate tube for supporting a canopy of the sunshade. A push member is slidably received in the pivotal block and includes an end for manual operation. A positioning peg includes a first end securely attached to the push member to move therewith and a second end that is urged into one of two positioning ends of the U-shape path for retaining the connecting rod in place with respect to the mounting member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to an adjusting sleeve assembly fora sunshade with a tiltable canopy, and more particularly to an adjustingsleeve assembly having a connecting rod that can be retained in placeduring folding/unfolding of the sunshade.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,156 to Tung issued on Nov. 28, 2000 disclosesa sunshade with a tiltable canopy. The sunshade comprises a supportingrod, a canopy support frame, and a canopy. An adjusting sleeve isslidably mounted around the supporting rod, and a lever is mounted tothe adjusting sleeve for controlling sliding motion of the adjustingsleeve along the supporting rod and for frictionally retaining theadjusting sleeve in place. The canopy support frame includes an arcuatetube that has an end connected to an elbow, which, in turn, is operablyconnected with the canopy. The other end of the arcuate tube isconnected to a reel with a handle for controlling opening/closing of thecanopy. A first end of each of a pair of connecting rods is pivotallyconnected to an extension extending from the adjusting sleeve, and asecond end of each connecting rod is pivotally connected to the otherend of the arcuate rod. A positioning sleeve is slidably mounted to theconnected rods. A portion of each connecting rod is releasably engagedin two grooves defined in the extension. When the connecting rods areengaged in the grooves and the positioning sleeve is moved to a positionfor enclosing the grooves in the extension, the connecting rods are thusretained in place, which, in turn, retains the canopy in a desired tiltangle relative to the supporting rod. When the positioning sleeve isdisengaged from the extension, the connecting rods may be disengagedfrom the grooves in the extension, and then the connecting rods, thearcuate tube, and the collapsed canopy may be moved to a storageposition. Thus, the sunshade is folded to a smaller volume for easy andconvenient transport.

[0005] When unfolding the sunshade from its folded state, the user mustpivot the connecting rods and the arcuate rod upward until theconnecting rods are engaged in the grooves in the extension and thenslide the positioning sleeve toward the extension until the grooves areenclosed, and the collapsed canopy is then opened by operating thehandle on the reel. It was, however, found that the sunshade isrelatively long and thus tends to flex when subjected to wing. Thiscauses difficulty for the user to engage the positioning sleeve with theextension. In addition, one of the hands of the user that holds on theextension might even be injured by the positioning sleeve which is heldby the other hand of the user. This problem is aggravated if the arcuatetube and the supporting rod of the sunshade both include two tubesections for further collapse purpose. This is because when unfoldingthe sunshade frame, the user has to hold a lower one of two tubesections of the arcuate tube and grasp and pull the upper tube sectionof the arcuate tube outward to overcome friction between the two tubesections. Nevertheless, in some cases it is difficult to grasp and pullthe upper tube section of the arcuate tube by only one hand; namely, theuser has to grasp and pull the upper tube section by both hands, yet thelower tube section, the connecting rods, and the adjusting sleeve arealso lifted. As a result, it is impossible to unfold the sunshade inthis case. Furthermore, when folding the sunshade is required, it wasfound that in some cases disengagement of the positioning sleeve fromthe extension is difficult due to over-tight engagement therebetween.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] It is the primary object of the present invention to provide animproved sunshade that comprises an adjusting sleeve assembly having aconnecting rod that can be retained in place during folding/unfolding ofthe sunshade.

[0007] A sunshade in accordance with the present invention comprises:

[0008] an upright support member having an upper end, a holding sleevebeing pivotally mounted to the upper end of the upright support member;

[0009] an arcuate tube supported by and slidable relative to the holdingsleeve and having a first end and a second end,

[0010] a canopy attached to the first end of the arcuate tube; and

[0011] an adjusting sleeve assembly comprising:

[0012] an adjusting sleeve slidably mounted around the upright supportmember;

[0013] a lever for releasably retaining the adjusting sleeve in placewith respect to the upright support member;

[0014] a mounting member extending outward from the adjusting sleeve andincluding a slot in a distal end of the mounting member and defining aU-shape path in the mounting member, the U-shape path including twopositioning ends and a passage communicating with the positioning ends;

[0015] a pivotal block pivotally mounted in the mounting member andextending along a direction transverse to an extending direction of themounting member, the pivotal block including a longitudinal chamber anda slot defined in an outer periphery of the pivotal block andcommunicated with the longitudinal chamber;

[0016] a connecting rod including a first end connected to the pivotalblock to pivot therewith and a second end pivotally connected to thesecond end of the arcuate tube;

[0017] a push member slidably received in the longitudinal chamber ofthe pivotal block and including an end for manual operation, apositioning peg including a first end securely attached to the pushmember to move therewith and a second end extending through the slot ofthe pivotal block and into one of the positioning ends of the U-shapepath;

[0018] wherein when the second end of the push member is retained in oneof the two positioning ends, the connecting rod is retained in placewith respect to the mounting member; and

[0019] wherein the second end of the push member is moved out of one ofthe positioning ends into the passage when the push member is pushed,and the connecting rod together with the pivotal block are pivotablerelative to the mounting member to a position where the second end ofthe push member is urged to be engaged with the other one of thepositioning ends.

[0020] The pivotal block includes a groove in the outer peripherythereof. The pivotal block further includes a longitudinal through-holecommunicated with the groove. A positioning pin is extended through thelongitudinal through-hole of the pivotal block and a hole in the firstend of the connecting rod, thereby securely connecting the first end ofthe connecting rod to the pivotal block to pivot therewith.

[0021] The push member includes a first end and a second end. A pushbutton is securely attached to the second end of the push member. Anelastic element has a first end attached to the first end of the pushmember and a second end attached to an inner end wall defining thelongitudinal chamber of the pivotal block. The push member includes amediate portion with a transverse receptacle, and the first end of thepositioning peg is securely attached to the push member to movetherewith.

[0022] In an embodiment of the invention, the upright support memberincludes a lower support tube and an upper support tube that has a lowerend telescopically received in the lower support tube. The holdingsleeve is pivotally mounted to an upper end of the upper support tube. Acontrol sleeve is provided for controlling telescopic movement of theupper support tube relative to the lower support tube. The arcuate tubeincludes an outer tube section and an inner tube section that has an endtelescopically received in the outer tube section. The canopy isattached to another end of the inner tube section. The second end of theconnecting rod is pivotally connected to the outer tube section. Afurther control sleeve is provided for controlling telescopic movementof the inner tube section relative to the outer tube section.

[0023] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the inventionwill become more apparent from the following detailed description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024]FIG. 1 is a side view of a sunshade with an adjusting sleeveassembly in accordance with the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of thesunshade and the adjusting sleeve assembly in accordance with thepresent invention.

[0026]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the adjusting sleeveassembly in accordance with the present invention.

[0027]FIG. 4 is a side view, partly sectioned, of a portion of thesunshade and the adjusting sleeve assembly in accordance with thepresent invention.

[0028]FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the adjusting sleeve assembly inaccordance with the present invention.

[0029]FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, wherein a pushbutton is pushed to allow pivotal movement of a connecting rod.

[0030]FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 4.

[0031]FIG. 8 is a side view similar to FIG. 4, wherein the sunshadeframe is in a folded state.

[0032]FIG. 9 is a side view of the sunshade in a folded state.

[0033]FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating application of the adjustingsleeve assembly to a sunshade of another type, wherein the sunshade isin an unfolded state.

[0034]FIG. 11 is a side view similar to FIG. 10, wherein the sunshade isin a folded state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a sunshade in accordance with thepresent invention generally includes a main frame 1, a canopy supportframe 2, and a canopy 3. The main frame 1 comprises an upright supportmember consisting of a lower support tube 12 and an upper support tube21 that has a lower end telescopically received in the lower supporttube 12. A holding sleeve 18 is pivotally mounted to an upper end of theupper support tube 21. A control sleeve 14 is mounted to an upper end ofthe lower support tube 12 and a push button 141 is provided to thecontrol sleeve 14 in a manner that the upper support tube 12 is retainedin an extended state relative to the lower support tube 12 when the pushbutton 141 is in an extended position shown in FIG. 1 and that the uppersupport tube 12 is telescopic relative to the lower support tube 12 whenthe push button 141 is in a retracted position inside the control sleeve14. Nevertheless, the lower support tube 12 and the upper support tube21 may be integral with each other and the control sleeve 14 may beomitted, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0036] An adjusting sleeve assembly 5 comprises an adjusting sleeve 50that is slidably mounted around the lower support tube 12, and a lever16 is mounted to the adjusting sleeve 50 for controlling sliding motionof the adjusting sleeve 50 along the lower support tube 12. Namely, theadjusting sleeve 50 is slidable along the lower support tube 12 when thelever 16 is in a disengaging position, and the adjusting sleeve 50 isfrictionally retained in place when the lever 16 is in an engagingposition shown in FIG. 1.

[0037] The canopy support frame 2 comprises an arcuate tube consistingof an outer tube section 22 and an inner tube section 24. A reel 28 isattached to an end of the inner tube section 22 that has a handle 25 forcontrolling folding/unfolding of the canopy 3. An end of the inner tubesection 24 is telescopically received in the outer tube section 22 andan elbow 40 is attached to the other end of the inner tube section 24for supporting the canopy 3. A control sleeve 23 is mounted to the otherend of the outer tube section 22 and a push button 231 is provided tothe control sleeve 23 in a manner that the inner tube section 24 isretained in an extended state relative to the outer tube section 22 whenthe push button 231 is in an extended position shown in FIG. 1 and thatthe inner tube section 22 is telescopic relative to the outer tubesection 22 when the push button 231 is in a retracted position insidethe control sleeve 23. Nevertheless, the outer tube section 22 and theinner tube section 24 may be integral with each other and the controlsleeve 23 may be omitted, as shown in FIG. 10. Except for the adjustingsleeve assembly, structure and operation of the sunshade with integralsupporting rod 12 and integral arcuate tube 24 have been disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,152,156, which is incorporated herein for reference.

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the adjusting sleeve assembly 5further includes a mounting member 51 extending upwardly and outwardlytherefrom. A distal end of the mounting member 51 includes a slot 53that opens in an end face of the distal end of the mounting member 51and in a lower side of the mounting member 51. In addition, asillustrated in FIG. 7, an inner wall defining the slot 53 includes apassage 542 and two positioning ends 541 and 543 that are communicatedwith the passage 542, namely, the passage 542 and the two positioningends 541 and 543 together define a substantially U-shape path 54 in themounting member 51.

[0039] The mounting member 51 includes a transverse through-hole 52communicated with the slot 53. A pivotal block 55 is pivotally receivedin the transverse through-hole 52 and comprises a longitudinal chamber551. A groove 552 is defined in an outer periphery of the pivotal block55, and a longitudinal through-hole 553 extends through the pivotalblock 55 and communicated with the groove 552. The pivotal block 55further includes a slot 554 (FIG. 5) in an outer periphery thereof andcommunicated with the longitudinal chamber 551. The slot 554 ispreferably defined in the outer periphery of the pivotal block 55 at anarea opposite to the groove 552, best shown in FIG. 5.

[0040] A connecting rod 59 includes a first end with a hole 591 and asecond end pivotally connected to the outer tube section 22, as shown inFIG. 4. The first end of the connecting rod 59 is received in the slot53 and inserted into the groove 552 of the pivotal block 55 that ispivotally received in the transverse through-hole 52 of the mountingmember 51. A positioning pin 58 is extended through the longitudinalthrough-hole 553 of the pivotal block 55 and the hole 591 of theconnecting member 59, thereby securely connecting the first end of theconnecting rod 59 to the pivotal block 55 to pivot therewith.

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 5, an elastic element 57 and a push member56 are mounted in the longitudinal chamber 551 of the pivotal block 55.The push member 56 is in the form of a stem having a first end 563, asecond end 562 to which a push button 566 is securely attached, and aflange 561 formed on a mediate portion thereof A transverse receptacle564 is defined in the flange 561 for receiving an end of a positioningpeg 565 that extends into one of the positioning ends 541 and 543 of theU-shape path 542 by way of the slot 554 in the pivotal block 55. An endof the elastic element 57 is attached to the first end 563 of the pushmember 56 and the other end of the elastic element 57 is attached to aninner end wall of the longitudinal chamber 551. The elastic element 57is provided to bias the other end of the positioning peg 565 into one ofthe positioning ends 541 and 543 of the U-shape path 54 in the mountingmember 51.

[0042] The sunshade frame (excluding the canopy 3) in FIG. 4 is in anunfolded state. When the push button 566 is pushed inward (FIG. 6), theelastic element 57 is compressed and the other end of the positioningpeg 565 is moved from one of the positioning ends (e.g., 541) of theU-shape path 54 to an end of the passage 542 in the mounting member 51,as illustrated by the phantom lines in FIG. 7. The user may then pivotthe connecting rod 59 downward to a position shown by the solid lines inFIG. 8, which will move the other end of the positioning peg 565 towardthe other end of the passage 542 in the mounting member 51. The pushbutton 566 can be released during movement of the positioning peg 565along the passage 542. When the other end of the positioning peg 565reaches the other end of the passage 542, the former is forced into theother positioning end (e.g., 543) of the U-shape path 54 and the pushbutton 566 is returned to its initial position shown in FIG. 5 under theaction of the elastic element 57. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 8, theconnecting rod 59 is securely retained in place relative to the mountingmember 51. This allows the user to move the outer tube section 24 out ofthe inner tube section 22 for unfolding the sunshade without difficulty.Namely, the problems and drawbacks of the conventional design describedin the background of the specification are avoided. It is appreciatedthat the user may push the push button 566 and pivot the connecting rod59 from a position shown in FIG. 8 to a position shown in FIG. 4 tocomplete unfolding of the sunshade frame and then unfold the canopy 3 bymeans of operating the handle 25 on the reel 28.

[0043]FIG. 9 illustrates the sunshade in a completely folded state.Folding of the sunshade can be accomplished by means of theabove-mentioned operation. FIG. 10 is a side view illustratingapplication of the adjusting sleeve assembly to a sunshade of anothertype, wherein the sunshade is in an unfolded state and wherein thesupport tube 12 and the arcuate tube 24 are both a single member insteadof telescopic design shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 11 is a side view similar toFIG. 10, wherein the sunshade is in a folded state.

[0044] Although the invention has been explained in relation to itspreferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thescope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sunshade comprising: an upright support memberhaving an upper end, a holding sleeve being pivotally mounted to theupper end of the upright support member; an arcuate tube supported byand slidable relative to the holding sleeve and having a first end and asecond end; a canopy attached to the first end of the arcuate tube; andan adjusting sleeve assembly comprising: an adjusting sleeve slidablymounted around the upright support member; a lever for releasablyretaining the adjusting sleeve in place with respect to the uprightsupport member; a mounting member extending outward from the adjustingsleeve and including a slot in a distal end of the mounting member anddefining a U-shape path in the mounting member, the U-shape pathincluding two positioning ends and a passage communicating with thepositioning ends; a pivotal block pivotally mounted in the mountingmember and extending along a direction transverse to an extendingdirection of the mounting member, the pivotal block including alongitudinal chamber and a slot defined in an outer periphery of thepivotal block and communicated with the longitudinal chamber; aconnecting rod including a first end connected to the pivotal block topivot therewith and a second end pivotally connected to the second endof the arcuate tube; a push member slidably received in the longitudinalchamber of the pivotal block and including an end for manual operation,a positioning peg including a first end securely attached to the pushmember to move therewith and a second end extending through the slot ofthe pivotal block and into one of the positioning ends of the U-shapepath; wherein when the second end of the push member is retained in oneof the two positioning ends, the connecting rod is retained in placewith respect to the mounting member; and wherein the second end of thepush member is moved out of one of the positioning ends into the passagewhen the push member is pushed, and the connecting rod together with thepivotal block are pivotable relative to the mounting member to aposition where the second end of the push member is urged to be engagedwith the other one of the positioning ends.
 2. The sunshade as claimedin claim 1, wherein the pivotal block includes a groove in the outerperiphery thereof, the pivotal block further including a longitudinalthrough-hole communicated with the groove, the first end of theconnecting rod including a hole, and a positioning pin being extendedthrough the longitudinal through-hole of the pivotal block and the holeof the connecting rod, thereby securely connecting the first end of theconnecting rod to the pivotal block to pivot therewith.
 3. The sunshadeas claimed in claim 1, wherein the push member includes a first end anda second end, a push button being securely attached to the second end ofthe push member, an elastic element having a first end attached to thefirst end of the push member and a second end attached to an inner endwall defining the longitudinal chamber of the pivotal block.
 4. Thesunshade as claimed in claim 3, wherein the push member includes amediate portion with a transverse receptacle, the first end of thepositioning peg being securely attached to the push member to movetherewith.
 5. The sunshade as claimed in claim 1, wherein the uprightsupport member includes a lower support tube and an upper support tubethat has a lower end telescopically received in the lower support tube,the holding sleeve being pivotally mounted to an upper end of the uppersupport tube, and further including a control sleeve for controllingtelescopic movement of the upper support tube relative to the lowersupport tube.
 7. The sunshade as claimed in claim 6, wherein the arcuatetube includes an outer tube section and an inner tube section that hasan end telescopically received in the outer tube section, the canopybeing attached to another end of the inner tube section, the second endof the connecting rod being pivotally connected to the outer tubesection, and further including a further control sleeve for controllingtelescopic movement of the inner tube section relative to the outer tubesection.
 8. The sunshade as claimed in claim 7, wherein the pivotalblock includes a groove in the outer periphery thereof, the pivotalblock further including a longitudinal through-hole communicated withthe groove, the first end of the connecting rod including a hole, and apositioning pin being extended through the longitudinal through-hole ofthe pivotal block and the hole of the connecting rod, thereby securelyconnecting the first end of the connecting rod to the pivotal block topivot therewith.
 9. The sunshade as claimed in claim 7, wherein the pushmember includes a first end and a second end, a push button beingsecurely attached to the second end of the push member, an elasticelement having a first end attached to the first end of the push memberand a second end attached to an inner end wall defining the longitudinalchamber of the pivotal block.
 10. The sunshade as claimed in claim 9,wherein the push member includes a mediate portion with a transversereceptacle, the first end of the positioning peg being securely attachedto the push member to move therewith.